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If there’s one thing that Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, might have done is call attention to the endless privilege the royal family enjoys. In a time of recession and cutbacks, it can be hard for some people to cheer on a group of people who live off of funds that come from the taxpayers’ wallets. That’s exactly what is happening on TikTok as Kate Middleton and Prince William‘s Jan. 26 visit to Windsor Foodshare is being called out by platform users for being tone deaf and nothing more than a publicity stunt.
The TikTok account, @thechampagne_socialist, broke down the visit, noting that it was the couple’s job “to do royal engagements and be seen by the public as caring individual to raise awareness.” Everyone can agree that the Prince and Princess of Wales always draw headlines for the charities they support, and the events are heavily covered by the media. However, the user is making a strong argument for what the duo did wrong, especially since the palace is looking to modernize the monarchy.
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He criticized Kate and William for turning up “with no food, put together some food parcels, and then dipped after 20 minutes [allegedly]” — and then drove off in their very expensive Land Rover. The account does concede that they could have “made a sizable donation off-camera,” but there has been no confirmation of that actually happening. He’s just shocked that a PR team allowed this to happen in the first place — and he’s not wrong.
“Surely someone in the process of organizing that little poverty safari probably said to one another, ‘We should probably send them in with a few tins,'” he noted, “Unless Meghan Markle has a few allies in The Firm.” Of course, there had to be a Duchess of Sussex mention, but this is about the optics William and Kate are putting out there. “I’m personally fed up with public figures using food banks as a way of making themselves feel better and not just actually addressing the reasons that they exist,” @thechampagne_socialist added. He’s spot on — and it’s an argument that shouldn’t just be directed at the royals.
People chimed in to agree with what the TikTok account had to say with one user noting, “The Royal Family Firm are basically only all *image* and they’re not even good at it lately.” Another account wrote, “You can’t convince me these junkets aren’t more to raise their profiles than to raise awareness to the causes.” And yes, there’s always the comparison to what Meghan and Prince Harry would have done, “Meghan and Harry would arrive with loads of supplies, participated in packaging and handing out items, and interacting with recipients.”
But this isn’t about which of the two couples would do a food bank visit better, it’s about King Charles III figuring out a way to make the monarchy relevant in 2023 — and a tone-deaf visit from billionaires isn’t it. It’s time the palace figures out ways to make their appearances more meaningful beyond just a photo opportunity.
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Before you go, click here to see more looks Kate Middleton has worn before.
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